Customs with a theme: Oakland murals (1 Viewer)

wickwack

Sitting Out
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Oakland, CA
I live in Oakland, and the street art is just amazing here, so I wanted to feature that in a home poker set.

..Disclaimer: I promise I'll check with the artists involved once I have an idea which art I'd like to include. I'm posting this now, though, because I have some basic questions about the set. Mmy main concern is that it might be too busy, with too much variety among all the chips.

NOTE: The Tree logo on the back is the logo of the city of Oakland.

oakland-murals-only4.png
 
First off, love the idea!

Second, yes please make sure you check with the artist before using any of their work.

Third, you should explore what is know as California colored sets. It would be criminal to design a set based around the rich cultural heritage of Oakland street art and go with base chip colors that didn’t represent that Cali love(ahem, we need that gif again @RocAFella1) IMO.

Happy to expand further, but it’s getting late and I’ve had a few for a friends bday celebration.
 
Great, thanks!

Assuming I can get permission (which is a big if), do you guys think inlays can have enough detail and richness for these images? These are for clay chips, I hate the feel of ceramic.
 
Oh, thanks! And there I was looking up the colors on the CA state flag (which did look interesting).
 
I'll update this soon with new designs, but along the way I had a question: I actually would like to use this set for tournaments (perhaps only?). What colors should I use then? How do you do tourneys with Cali colors? Is that a thing?

I see a couple options:
  1. Cali Colors with lower values. Blue(1)/Yellow(5)/Purple(25)/White(100). Structure the blinds/starting stacks around lower values (i.e. start at blinds 2/4).
  2. Cali Colors at usual tourney values, I guess being Yellow(5)/Purple(25)/White(100)/Brown(500)...Not sure after that.
  3. Standard Colors Red(5)/Green(25)/Black(100)/Purple(500)

What do you guys prefer?

@RichMahogany @allforcharity
 
You can do a tournament set with any colour you desire, any spots (or no spots) you desire, any progression (or no progression) you desire, any size you desire. This is your custom set. Use colours that remind you of the mural art. Use colours that remind you of your high school. Use colours that remind you of the music you like. Use colours that make you happy.

The tournament values you choose and their corresponding chip colours do not matter, as long as the values are clear, and the breakdowns by denomination make sense. This is why the inlay art is important, because it will affect the clarify of the denom, and the breakdown will determine the efficiency of the set. So, define the stakes (T500, T2000, T10000, or whatever) and then pick the 4-6 colours you will use for your chips (probably 4 for the base progression, 1 for rebuys, and maybe 1 for bounties).
 
Ok, interesting. I was concerned about it being confusing for players. Just to clarify, would you say in cash games people tend to stick choose colors that match a convention, CA or otherwise? Whereas in tournaments the colors can be whatever? Also, you might have noticed from this post that I'm thinking of having the denomination only on one side of the chip. Does that seem confusing for players?

Thanks for all the help!
 
People are creatures of habit, so people who are used to following a convention, such as colour on cash or tourney poker chips, will tend to feel more comfortable when that convention is followed. Persons who have no pre-conceived notions of these conventions, such as newer/less experienced players, or do not visit casinos, or do not play in multiple home games, should have no problem picking up/learning the denoms on any custom set.

Now, for this reason, denominations on chips are important, especially when you use "non-standard" colours, so make sure that with whatever inlay art you use, the denomination is clearly stated on at least one (but preferably both) sides of the chip. I would say that denoms are a MUST in any tournament set. In a cash set, it is possible for one, maybe two, chips to be non-denominated, but it is best left for the lowest value, i.e. fracs such as quarters and maybe nickels, of widely different colours/contrasts.

My opinions only, of course, but much of which I have learned from other people's expressed opinions in the forum over the past couple of years, as well as a bit of my own experience as a new player in local home games.
 
Thanks so much for your thoughts. I think with the level of detail in the murals, it won't work well to have denoms on both sides. So, to compensate for that, I plan to stick with red/green/black/purple.
 
I'll update this soon with new designs, but along the way I had a question: I actually would like to use this set for tournaments (perhaps only?). What colors should I use then? How do you do tourneys with Cali colors? Is that a thing?

I see a couple options:
  1. Cali Colors with lower values. Blue(1)/Yellow(5)/Purple(25)/White(100). Structure the blinds/starting stacks around lower values (i.e. start at blinds 2/4).
  2. Cali Colors at usual tourney values, I guess being Yellow(5)/Purple(25)/White(100)/Brown(500)...Not sure after that.
  3. Standard Colors Red(5)/Green(25)/Black(100)/Purple(500)

What do you guys prefer?

@RichMahogany @allforcharity

I prefer starting using a T25 chip as my lowest denom regardless of any color scheme being used.

I do try to think outside the box though and I’ve considered doing a Cali tournament set starting with the T1 chip. I have some CPC Cali cash set mock ups that I’ve been tinkering with for over a year and lately I’ve started thinking that maybe it would work as a tournament set instead.

This is all predicated on me winning the lottery so I can actually pay for a CPC set so I’m not holding my breath :)
 
I'm getting psyched about this design! What do you guys think?

48-pcf_post.png


NOTE: I haven't heard from 3 of the artists, so the above murals might not make it into the final version. But here are the credits:

(5) "Rise and Grind" by Illuminaries (Tim Hon and Steve Ha) www.illuminaries.net
(25) "Oakland Palestine Solidarity Mural", this portion by Chris Gazaleh and Erin Yoshi
(100) "Ghost Ship" by Norman "Vogue" voguesworld.com
(500) "Beacon Frequency" by Joshua Mays joshuamaysart.tumblr.com
 
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Maybe your denom side could use a little bit of colour? Like a brown tree and branches? Maybe on a single colour hill?
Definitely was thinking that. A tint to the white background perhaps? I like your idea too of color within the tree.
 
do you guys think inlays can have enough detail and richness for these images?

Hi,

For a quick answer, I'd ask Chris @Gear if the detail would come through if he were doing labels. Then check with David at CPC to get his thoughts. I've gone through a bunch of money to get things right in the past with chip artists.

For CPC inlays, vector format is your best bet and I'm thinking that you can't easily recreate those images in vector. Recently I had an image I wanted on a new bounty chip. We could not find the artist to ask permission so I had an illustrator completely redo the outlines from the jpeg. Then I sent it to J5 and he recreated it as best he could (stellar job by both). That said my images do not have the complexity of this street art.

Best of luck with this. I don't often comment on newbie customs but this has great potential and I like your theme. I would caution against using these chips for both tournament and cash...cheaters gonna cheat. Make 2 sets. I'd listen to @RichMahogany go Cali on the cash set and use the images on each that complement the base color of your chip....for example that blue chip in your first post is stellar. Color match the tree on the back as well...that side needs some work until you get it right and you will get there.

On your tournament mock I would strongly advise against having the spot colors so dark on 3 consecutive chips. In low light you are asking for dirty stack issues.

Take your time. When you are sitting in all that fun Oakland traffic, ideas will come to you when you least expect it.
 
Ok, interesting. I was concerned about it being confusing for players. Just to clarify, would you say in cash games people tend to stick choose colors that match a convention, CA or otherwise? Whereas in tournaments the colors can be whatever? Also, you might have noticed from this post that I'm thinking of having the denomination only on one side of the chip. Does that seem confusing for players?

Thanks for all the help!

a denom on one side is fine IMO. I'd leave the street art side alone.

...and order a current CPC sample set of colors...the most important advice that can be given in this case. Colors are different in person than on the screen
 

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